The present invention relates to horn actuating devices for motor-vehicle steering-wheels, particularly steering-wheels provided with an air-bag.
The applicant has already proposed in Italian patent application no. TO98A000795 filed on Sep. 17/1998 (still secret at the priority date of the present application) a motor-vehicle steering-wheel comprising:
a metal frame, including a hub, a rim and a plurality of spokes connecting the hub to the rim, an actuating element which is mounted above the frame of the steering-wheel so as to be movable between
a raised rest position and a lowered position for horn actuation,
Spring means interposed between said actuating element and said steering-wheel frame for biasing the actuating element towards its raised position,
a horn actuating device, interposed between the actuating element and the hub and comprising at least a first electric contact rigidly connected to the frame of the steering-wheel and at least a second electric contact movable with the actuating element and adapted for co-operating with said first electric contact for actuating the horn,
wherein said spring means are constituted by a plurality of springs, each having a base portion fixedly supported on the steering-wheel frame, and a flexible portion operatively associated with the actuating element and having free end bent towards the steering-wheel frame and adapted to form said second electric contact co-operating with said first electric contact,
wherein said springs are mounted on respective supports of plastic material which are connected to each other by a flexible strip of plastic material, in which there are embedded two conductive strips which are electrically connected to each spring and said first electric contact co-operating therewith, so as to form a pre-assembled unit accommodated on the steering-wheel frame,
and wherein said supports of plastic material of the springs include guide bushes wherein studs are slidable which are rigidly connected to the actuating element so as to be movable therewith, stop means being interposed between the lower end of each stud and the steering-wheel frame to limit the upward travel of the actuating element with respect to the steering-wheel frame.
The actuating element of the device can be constituted by the lower rigid wall of a housing for an air-bag associated with the steering-wheel, or it can be constituted simply by a steering-wheel hub covering element which hides the hub of the steering-wheel from view.
The object of the present invention is that of further simplifying the structure of the previously proposed steering-wheel so that the horn actuating device can be mounted on this steering-wheel with particularly easy and rapid operations. In view of achieving this object, the invention provides a steering-wheel having all the above indicated features wherein said stop means provided at the lower end of each stud projecting from the actuating element are elastically deformable, so as to enable rapid installation of said studs of the actuating element within said guide bushes forming part of said pre-assembled unit.